Current Trends in Laboratory Class Teaching in University Bioscience Programmes

Abstract Students and academics agree that there is a need to make learning and teaching in the bioscience laboratory more challenging and engaging. During recent years there have been many published accounts of novel laboratory exercises designed to enthuse and stimulate students through active learning. The purpose of this review is to raise awareness of these innovative methods that exploit computer-based approaches, encourage enquiry-based learning and may even involve students in cutting edge research during scheduled undergraduate laboratory classes.

[1]  D. Rivers,et al.  Using a course-long theme for inquiry-based laboratories in a comparative physiology course. , 2002, Advances in physiology education.

[2]  Miguel A. R. B. Castanho,et al.  Dealing with the challenges of teaching molecular biophysics to biochemistry majors through an heuristics‐based approach , 2002 .

[3]  Maria Sunnerhagen,et al.  Open‐ended assignments and student responsibility , 2007, Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

[4]  Erin L Dolan,et al.  Grappling with the literature of education research and practice. , 2007, CBE life sciences education.

[5]  Linda T. Collins,et al.  How To Generate Understanding of the Scientific Process in Introductory Biology , 2004 .

[6]  Arianne M. Dantas,et al.  A blended approach to active learning in a physiology laboratory-based subject facilitated by an e-learning component. , 2008, Advances in physiology education.

[7]  Kevin W Eliceiri,et al.  Student learning of early embryonic development via the utilization of research resources from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. , 2008, CBE life sciences education.

[8]  David B. Kushner DNA Microarrays in the Undergraduate Microbiology Lab: Experimentation and Handling Large Datasets in as Few as Six Weeks , 2007 .

[9]  R. E. Ziemba,et al.  An hypothesis‐driven, molecular phylogenetics exercise for college biology students , 2004, Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

[10]  Marilyn Dispensa,et al.  An evaluation of web-based case studies in microscopy. , 2006, Microbiology education.

[11]  Himadri B Pakrasi,et al.  An inquiry into protein structure and genetic disease: introducing undergraduates to bioinformatics in a large introductory course. , 2005, Cell biology education.

[12]  Sandra K. Abell,et al.  The Design, Enactment, and Experience of Inquiry-Based Instruction in Undergraduate Science Education: A Case Study. , 2008 .

[13]  Linda T. Collins,et al.  How to Generate Understanding of the Scientific Process in Introductory Biology: A Student-Designed Laboratory Exercise on Yeast Fermentation. , 2004 .

[14]  Shuping Zhang,et al.  A research project‐based and self‐determined teaching system of molecular biology techniques for undergraduates , 2008, Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

[15]  M. J. Myers,et al.  Inquiry-based laboratory course improves students' ability to design experiments and interpret data. , 2003, Advances in physiology education.

[16]  Benjamin Caldwell,et al.  A curriculum skills matrix for development and assessment of undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology laboratory programs , 2004, Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

[17]  James M. Cunningham,et al.  Evaluation of a web‐based resource to support a molecular biology practical class—does computer‐aided learning really work? , 2003 .

[18]  E. E. LeClair,et al.  Teaching the toolkit , 2008, Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

[19]  Harry R Goldberg,et al.  The positive impact of team-based virtual microscopy on student learning in physiology and histology. , 2007, Advances in physiology education.

[20]  M S Jensen,et al.  Cooperative quizzes in the anatomy and physiology laboratory: a description and evaluation. , 1996, The American journal of physiology.

[21]  Jennifer C. Drew,et al.  Whole genome sequencing in the undergraduate classroom: outcomes and lessons from a pilot course. , 2008, Journal of microbiology & biology education.

[22]  Debbie Smith,et al.  Issues and trends in higher education biology fieldwork , 2004 .

[23]  Megan Guziewicz,et al.  Analyzing defects in the Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system using organismal and cell biological approaches. , 2002, Cell biology education.

[24]  David E Walker,et al.  Development of a Cross-disciplinary Investigative Model for the Introduction of Microarray Techniques at Non-r1 Undergraduate Institutions , 2022 .

[25]  S. Debburman,et al.  Learning how scientists work: experiential research projects to promote cell biology learning and scientific process skills. , 2002, Cell biology education.

[26]  Marcelo Hermes-Lima,et al.  The use of multiple tools for teaching medical biochemistry. , 2008, Advances in physiology education.

[27]  Sarah D. Loznak,et al.  Infusion of collaborative inquiry throughout a biology curriculum increases student learning: a four-year study of "Teams and Streams". , 2004, Advances in physiology education.

[28]  M. Rasche,et al.  Outcomes of a research‐driven laboratory and literature course designed to enhance undergraduate contributions to original research , 2004, Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

[29]  Steven C Cunningham,et al.  Beverage-agarose gel electrophoresis: an inquiry-based laboratory exercise with virtual adaptation. , 2006, CBE life sciences education.

[30]  Laurie J. Heyer,et al.  Make microarray data with known ratios. , 2007, CBE life sciences education.

[31]  T. Lord,et al.  Moving From Didactic to Inquiry-Based Instruction In A Science Laboratory , 2006 .

[32]  Susan J. Rehorek Inquiry-Based Teaching: An Example of Descriptive Science in Action. , 2004 .

[33]  Susan M DiBartolomeis,et al.  Apoptosis: a four-week laboratory investigation for advanced molecular and cellular biology students. , 2003, Cell biology education.

[34]  Diane Ebert-May,et al.  Scientific Teaching , 2004, Science.

[35]  H. Sleister Isolation and Characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mutants Defective in Chromosome Transmission in an Undergraduate Genetics Research Course , 2007, Genetics.

[36]  Sara M Hiebert,et al.  Teaching simple experimental design to undergraduates: do your students understand the basics? , 2007, Advances in physiology education.

[37]  Donald J. Wink,et al.  Development of a biochemistry laboratory course with a project‐oriented goal , 2003 .

[38]  Laura Arwood,et al.  Teaching cell biology to nonscience majors through forensics, or how to design a killer course. , 2004, Cell biology education.

[39]  Rasha Hammamieh,et al.  Students investigating the antiproliferative effects of synthesized drugs on mouse mammary tumor cells. , 2005, Cell biology education.

[40]  Xuanwei Zhou,et al.  Participation in research program , 2007, Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

[41]  Rodney Boyer Concepts and skills in the biochemistry/molecular biology lab , 2003 .

[42]  D. Howard,et al.  Using a module-based laboratory to incorporate inquiry into a large cell biology course. , 2005, Cell biology education.

[43]  A Malcolm Campbell,et al.  Genome Consortium for Active Teaching: meeting the goals of BIO2010. , 2007, CBE life sciences education.

[44]  Alfonsas Juška,et al.  Growth of microbial populations. Mathematical modeling, laboratory exercises, and model‐based data analysis , 2006, Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

[45]  Pamela A Marshall,et al.  Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae to test the mutagenicity of household compounds: an open ended hypothesis-driven teaching lab. , 2007, CBE life sciences education.

[46]  K. Fitzpatrick,et al.  An investigative laboratory course in human physiology using computer technology and collaborative writing. , 2004, Advances in physiology education.

[47]  Mark D Spiro,et al.  Alternation of generations and experimental design: a guided-inquiry lab exploring the nature of the her1 developmental mutant of Ceratopteris richardii (C-Fern). , 2008, CBE life sciences education.

[48]  C. Mason,et al.  An inquiry-based learning model for an exercise physiology laboratory course. , 2001, Advances in physiology education.

[49]  Rudolph Mitchell,et al.  A small-scale concept-based laboratory component: the best of both worlds. , 2006, CBE life sciences education.

[50]  Todd T Eckdahl,et al.  An inexpensive gel electrophoresis-based polymerase chain reaction method for quantifying mRNA levels. , 2005, Cell biology education.

[51]  Doo-Sik Kim The Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , 2006, IUBMB life.

[52]  Patricia Abrão Possik,et al.  Achievement of original results in an essentially practical course in molecular biology for undergraduate students , 2003 .

[53]  Brian White The Red & White Yeast Lab: An Introduction to Science as a Process , 1999 .

[54]  Natalie H Kuldell,et al.  How golden is silence? Teaching undergraduates the power and limits of RNA interference. , 2006, CBE life sciences education.

[55]  Edward J. Wood Laboratory Practical Work , 2008 .

[56]  Donald A. Hall,et al.  A comparison of a biological sciences curriculum study (BSCS) laboratory and a traditional laboratory on student achievement at two private liberal arts colleges , 1990 .

[57]  K. Rodnick,et al.  Fishing for an ECG: a student-directed electrocardiographic laboratory using rainbow trout. , 2007, Advances in physiology education.

[58]  Jessica Thompson,et al.  Beyond the scientific method: Model‐based inquiry as a new paradigm of preference for school science investigations , 2008 .

[59]  Daniel P Odom,et al.  Using the two-hybrid screen in the classroom laboratory. , 2002, Cell biology education.

[60]  D. D. Hurd,et al.  A microcosm of the biomedical research experience for upper-level undergraduates. , 2008, CBE life sciences education.

[61]  S. B. Chaplin,et al.  Guided development of independent inquiry in an anatomy/physiology laboratory. , 2003, Advances in physiology education.

[62]  S. DiCarlo,et al.  Too much teaching, not enough learning: what is the solution? , 2006, Advances in physiology education.

[63]  Jan Keith Farmer,et al.  Where ' s the evidence that active learning works ? , 2006 .

[64]  Marga Madhuri,et al.  "Do I need to know this for the exam?" Using popular media, inquiry-based laboratories, and a community of scientific practice to motivate students to learn developmental biology. , 2008, CBE life sciences education.

[65]  Douglas L Wendell,et al.  Teaching human genetics with mustard: rapid cycling Brassica rapa (fast plants type) as a model for human genetics in the classroom laboratory. , 2007, CBE life sciences education.

[66]  R. Dehaan,et al.  Routes to research for novice undergraduate neuroscientists. , 2006, CBE life sciences education.

[67]  David W. Rodenbaugh,et al.  Having students design and develop laboratory exercises improves student learning outcomes in undergraduate physiology. , 2007 .

[68]  Gary J Lindquester,et al.  Developing information fluency in introductory biology students in the context of an investigative laboratory. , 2005, Cell biology education.

[69]  Erika Jones,et al.  Identifying novel helix-loop-helix genes in Caenorhabditis elegans through a classroom demonstration of functional genomics. , 2003, Cell biology education.

[70]  Karen Kashmanian Oates Inquiry Science: Case Study in Antibiotic Prospecting , 2002 .

[71]  Roger L. Kaspar Integrating internet assignments into a biochemistry/molecular biology laboratory course , 2002 .

[72]  James Stewart,et al.  WormClassroom.org: an inquiry-rich educational web portal for research resources of Caenorhabditis elegans. , 2007, CBE life sciences education.

[73]  C. Hansel Scientific Teaching , 1972, Nature.

[74]  J. Michael Where's the evidence that active learning works? , 2006, Advances in physiology education.

[75]  B. Mitchell,et al.  From organelle to protein gel: a 6-wk laboratory project on flagellar proteins. , 2006, CBE life sciences education.

[76]  Sarah M Boomer,et al.  Bacterial Diversity Studies Using the 16S rRNA Gene Provide a Powerful Research-Based Curriculum for Molecular Biology Laboratory. , 2002, Microbiology education.

[77]  Sharon Ramos Goyette,et al.  A semester-long student-directed research project involving enzyme immunoassay: appropriate for immunology, endocrinology, or neuroscience courses. , 2007, CBE life sciences education.

[78]  Sarah Armstrong,et al.  Modular laboratory courses: An alternative to a traditional laboratory program , 2005, Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

[79]  Carl S Luciano,et al.  Bacteriophage: a model system for active learning. , 2002, Microbiology education.

[80]  Linda A Silveira Experimenting with spirituality: analyzing The God Gene in a nonmajors laboratory course. , 2008, CBE life sciences education.